Download 24/03/10

SRGC
----- Bulb
Log Diary -----
Pictures and text © Ian Young
BULB LOG 12…..................................…….24th March 2010
Fritillaria chitralensis
I promised at the end of last week’s bulb log that I would show some of the Fritillaria that just seem to have shot up
in response to the warming of the sun on the glass. Despite my sacrificing a Fritillaria chitralensis bulb to the knife
in an attempt to speed up the rate of increase I still have three good flowering stems. I am sure that the failure of the
cut up bulb to form buds was my fault as I did not get the storage conditions correct and rot set in. I am not put off
and will try again this summer when I will aim to keep the cut pieces slightly drier – watch this space. It is a
beautiful species and the flowers have a scent that reminds me of lemons.
Fritillaria carica
This are two forms of Fritillaria carica that I cloned out from a pot of three seedlings many years ago. The third
clone flowers quite a bit later, after the flowers on these two forms have gone over.
Fritillaria carica ‘B’
Although these two look superficially similar the one I have labelled clone ‘B’ has stippled brown markings on the
petals while the other clone ‘C’ has pure yellow flowers. The third clone ‘A’ has yellow flowers but flowers much
later. I know I have mentioned it before but just to remind you to look at the clusters of ‘hairs’ at the tips of the
petals – a feature that you will see on all Fritillaria although it is not unique to this genus.
Fritillaria
armena
The superb colour of
Fritillaria armena is
difficult to capture in
all its glory because
the white bloom on
the dark petals tends
to reflect the light.
Imagine the effect
that you get on fresh
black grapes with that
lovely silver bloom
and that is the same
on this species.
Fritillaria armena
This form of Fritillaria armena flowers on relatively short stems and it also produces rice grains. This is a pot of rice
that I have grown on from the parent pot. You can see that there are still masses of young bulbils that will take
around three years to reach flowering size and as even the bulbils produce bulbils so I have an almost endless
supply of material to propagate this clone. I am still keen to fertilise the flowers to ensure a seed set as I still much
prefer to raise my plants from seed and get that variation.
Fritillaria pinardii
This is a pot with a single clone of the very variable Fritillaria pinardi. I have a number of forms of this species
which can vary from all dark flowers to almost all yellow flowers where it becomes difficult to tell it apart from
Fritillaria carica.
Fritillaria minuta
This is a lovely form of Fritillaria minuta – not to be confused with the yellow flowered Fritillaria minima.
F.minuta has what are often described as brick red flowers and many have a solid orangey/brown colour but this
form has these lovely translucent pinky/brown flowers with a darker stripe running down the petals. It is not the
most showy of frits as it tends to modestly hide its flowers amongst its shiny green leaves.
Fritillaria stenanthera
There is nothing modest about Fritillaria stenanthera which holds its large crystalline pinky/white flowers proudly
facing outwards and there can be as many as 10 on a single stem.
Fritillaria stenanthera
Seen from the side it is easy to see the large swellings at the base of the petals that form the nectar pits on the inside
of the flowers. It is these horn-like bumps that gave rise to the name of the section of Fritillaria Rhinopetelum that
includes this beautiful easily grown species.
Fritillaria pudica ‘Richard Britten
The form of Fritillaria pudica called ‘Richard Britten’ was chosen for having larger than normal flowers, however I
have raised a lot of forms from wild collected seeds that have flowers equally as large as ‘Richard Britten’
Narcissus cyclamineus
There are Narcissus cyclamineus popping up all over the garden just now. Last summer when I was sorting out
some of the frames I decided to plant lots of them that had been in pots out into the garden. I popped them in as
single bulbs dotting them around a number of beds both with gravel mulch as above and the more woodland type
beds – I am delighted with the results.
Narcissus cyclamineus
These are in a plunge basket in the new frame I made last year to replace a wooden one that rotted away. This bed
contains many Erythroniums, Crocus and also this basket of Narcissus cyclamineus. It is my intention to plant out
into the garden a lot more of the bulbs that I only grow under glass. Obviously I will not risk losing all my stock of
a particular bulb but I will start by planting out any spares I have when I repot. I have been doing this in a casual
way for a number of years but now I am determined to do it in a more organised way.
Narcissus asturiensis
You could be excused for thinking that this Narcissus asturiensis is flopping over because it wants a drink but I can
assure you that is not the case. When the flowers stems first come out they are more or less upright, see bulb log
1010, but when they have been fertilised they bend over with a definite kink towards the base of the stem just above
the gravel. It is clearly a mechanism that this plant has evolved which I presume has some benefits to aid seed
dispersal.
Narcissus 'Candle
Power' x
asturiensis
This is a hybrid made
by Brian Duncan
between Narcissus
'Candle Power' and N.
asturiensis – I am sure
that Brian has used a
very similar form of N.
asturiensis because
this hybrid exhibits
exactly the same
characteristic of the
stem bending over.
You can see very
clearly where it bends
just above where the
stem emerges from the
leaves- if you try and
straighten it springs
quickly back when you
let it go.
Narcissus pseudonarcissus bicolor and Narcissus pseudonarcissus eugeniae
The bigger forms of Narcissus are now starting to come into flower and above are two forms of Narcissus
pseudonarcissus. I think that the one on the left is bicolor. I have grown it for a very long time in the garden and it
sets seeds most years –these are the first flowers on the bulbs that were sown as seeds in 2005. On the right is a
plant of Narcissus pseudonarcissus eugeniae that I was given a few years ago.
Narcissus x susannae
It is very difficult if not impossible to pick a favourite species out of any genera but if I had to choose one from
Narcissus then this cross that I made between Narcissus triandrus and Narcissus cantabricus imitating the naturally
occurring hybrid Narcissus x susannae would be my choice – of the white Narcissus.
Erythronium caucasicum
Erythronium caucasicum is always the first of this genus to open beating the others by around two weeks.
Unfortunately I find this species slow to build up by division so it is by seed that most of the increase will come
from – that is no doubt why it is quite a scarce plant and rarely offered by the trade. I am pleased however to notice
that a third leaf has risen from this bulb indicating that an offset is forming and perhaps next year I will get two
flowers.
Erythronium
caucasicum
The main and perhaps
only difference between
this species and a white
form of Erythronium
dens canis is that E.
caucasicum has yellow
pollen and dens canis
has dark violet pollen.
This flower has been
out for around two
weeks now opening and
closing its flower
depending on the
weather conditions.
Erythronium dens canis
This dark coloured form of Erythronium dens canis is just coming into flower and as you can tell from the evidence
that some of the flowers are out of focus I took this picture on a very windy day. It is a very good clone that
originated in a church yard in Aberdeenshire and from the number that grow there it has been there for a very long
time. It has the darkest flowers of all the forms we grow and beautifully marked leaves.
Scoliopus hallii
Scoliopus hallii is the less familiar of the two species in this genus perhaps because it has very small less
‘attractive’ flowers. It is one of those plants that would be termed a ‘connoisseurs plant’ in a nursery list.
Scoliopus hallii
and
Scoliopus bigelowii
Neither of the two species is the sort of plant that
would jump out and grab the general public but if
you are a plant person and look carefully at
flowers then you will be captivated by their
charm. It is the wonderful dark striped bracts of
Scoliopus bigelowii along with the dark brown
spotted leaves that make it so attractive. The
spotting of the leaves is also variable from clone
to clone and the spots fade as the season
progresses.
The petals are the three very narrow upward
pointing structures so there are three bracts and
three petals.
Scoliopus bigelowii
When you raise them from seed you will get quite a variation in the markings on Scoliopus bigelowii; they can
range from almost totally dark maroon to almost completely lime green but I like the ones with contrasting dark
lines. I have not noticed the same degree of variation in the Scoliopus hallii seedlings that I have raised; the one
pictured earlier has the typical appearance for this species.
Anemone caucasicum
As an indicator of what else is coming into season
in our garden and a trail of what might appear in the
next bulb logs here is Anemone caucasicum.
I was pleased to be given this just over a year ago
and this is the first time it has flowered for me.
It is just like a smaller version of Anemone blanda
and as soon as it increases I will plant some into a
favourable site in the garden where it will not get
swamped by larger plants and where I can enjoy its
charms – perhaps a trough or raised bed.
Corydalis incisa
This group of Corydalis incisa are growing in a raised bed and I started them off by scattering some seed from the
parent plant which I grow under glass. Luckily I got two plants one white and one purple which looks much better
than a group with a single colour. Now I have second generation of seedlings that have self sown with just a little
help by me to distribute them around the same bed.